Chilled somen noodle served with grated ginger, scallion and a delicious dipping sauce called Tsuyu. This is a perfect Japanese noodle recipe for hot summer days.
When the weather is getting warmer and you start losing your appetite, what do you usually end up eating? Growing up in Asia, summers were often brutally hot. To beat the heat, my favorite go-to dishes on these hot summer days are Japanese cold noodles dishes such as somen and soba. As you slurp the slippery Cold Somen Noodles dipped in delicious tsuyu, you feel your body starting to cool in the summer heat.
What is Somen Noodles?
Sōmen (素麺,そうめん) are white Japanese noodles made of wheat flour and they are very thin, about 1 mm in diameter. The dough is stretched with the help of vegetable oil to make very thin strips and then air dried. You can read more about the somen making process here.
How do I cook somen noodles?
Because of its thinness, somen noodles often take less than 3-4 minutes to cook in boiling water. While cooking, you want to stir the noodles with chopsticks to prevent sticking. Once cooked, drain the noodles in a colander immediately and use you hands to gently rinse the noodles under cold running water. This helps to remove the excess starch from the noodles.
Somen are usually served cold with a dipping sauce called Tsuyu (つゆ). The dipping sauce is the same Japanese dashi-based broth used in hot soup, but more concentrated in flavor. Flavored with scallions and ginger, the sauce is light yet incredibly aromatic. You can also add shiso leaf or myoga if you can find them at Japanese grocery stores.
To make it more filling, you can definitely bulk up the noodles by tossing in other ingredients such as shredded egg crepes (see How to Make Kinshi Tamago), julienned cucumbers or ham. I love my somen noodles just as it is. In my humble opinion, there is nothing more comforting and satisfying than enjoying the long strands of chilled slippery somen noodles with the sweet savory sauce on its own. It is truly one of the simple dishes that highlights the uniqueness of somen noodles.
Jin, my friend from middle school, sent me these packages of somen noodles from Shodo Island where he currently lives. The pink somen noodles are made of Ume (梅), Japanese plum. Tenobe (手延) Somen from Shodo Island has made the region famous as one of Japan’s top three producers of somen noodles. These somen noodles are hard to get overseas, but my favorite Ibonoito brand is available in Japanese grocery stores and I highly recommend this brand.
Enjoy the cold somen noodles as a light meal or afternoon snack!
* We usually decorate the noodles with Japanese maple leaves, but I couldn’t find them so I use maple leaves instead.
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- 4 bundles dried somen noodles
- ½ inch ginger
- 1 green onion/scallion
- Shiso leaves (Ooba) (thinly sliced, optional)
- Myoga ginger (thinly sliced, optional)
- ¼ cup mentsuyu (noodle soup base) (See Notes for homemade recipe)
- ½-1 cup water (cold iced, if you use concentrated Mentsuyu)
- [Optional] Traditional Japanese restaurants tie up the noodles to enhance the appearance of the somen and this is how you do it. Tie the edge of somen noodles with cooking twine. This way noodles will stay in one direction while cooking. I normally skip this step for home use.
- Boil water in a large pot. When boiling, remove the wrapper.
- Add the somen noodles in the boiling water, stirring noodles with chopsticks so they don’t stick to each other. Cook according to the package instructions. If necessary, add a little bit of cold water in the pot to prevent overflowing.
- Drain somen in a colander and wash the noodles with hands under running water.
- Once noodles are cold, find the knotted parts of somen noodles and pick them up. Cut off the edge and discard. Hold each bundle gently and arrange it nicely on a serving plate. Somen can be served with ice to keep cool.
- Cut the scallion finely and grate the ginger. Put them in small dishes. Put Mentsuyu in small bowls and add cold (iced) water to dilute. Put small portion of scallion and ginger in the dipping sauce and dip the somen noodles to eat. Enjoy!
Mentsuyu (noodle soup base): Homemade recipe, click here.
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
This is so pretty, Nami. I bet it is good as well. I just love all of your recipes. I need to go through and make a meal plan for a weekend soon. My boyfriend and I would both love your recipes. Pinning this! 🙂
Love this cold dish. I really do enjoy cold Japanese dishes and make it often for my family. Will try this recipe soon. 99
Ah! Now I know how restaurants get their noodles all liked up so perfectly. It’s been bugging me for a while. Weird obsession of mine. Love cold noodles so much. Do you mane your own tsuyu sauce?
Perfect summer dish! I haven’t tried this before, but this dish sure looks good. I am saving this recipe and using it for a hot day. Thanks, Nami!
Your first picture is so neat Nami. I have never had noodles like this, you inspire in so many ways for us to try different stuff. Thanks.
The elegant presentation of the somen noodles elevates a simple dish into something very special. I may try tying my somen the next time I make them as I have a package in my pantry right now.
Nami, you make my mouth water each and every time! What time is dinner?!
Your cold noodles look very refreshing and perfect for hot summer days. Of course the best part is that deliciousdipping sauce. Thank you for sharing another wonderful recipe.
Hi Nami,
I love somen in the summer and make a somen “salad” which is a recipe my sister passed onto me originally from the LA Times. I cook 3 – 4 bundles of noodles and placed cooked noodles in a 9 X 14 baking dish. I cover the noodles with shredded lettuce, chopped green onion, kamaboku or imitation crab flakes, cooked shredded scrambled eggs, and pieces of ham. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and teriyaki type of sauce/dressing. Scoop out spoonfuls to each person. Yum.
Hi Randy! Yes, I eat it like Hiyashi Chuka (with eggs, crabs, shredded egg crepe, etc) too! Moms always prefer to feed some protein and veggies with noodles, so I never actually had just noodles only… no matter how hot day it was. 🙂 Thank you very much for your kind comment!
Woohoo! You are in my neck of the woods. If you find yourself in Santa Maria try the restaurant Atari-ya! Or you could try Goshi in San Luis Obispo. 🙂
You live in such a wonderful place! We’re hoping to go back soon. I heard about Atariya and Goshi, and hope to try both one day! Thank you very much for your comment. xo
What an interesting way to cool down, so much healthier than a cool bowl of ice cream that’s for sure. 🙂
G’day Nami and really enjoyed your post today, true!
Loved learning the process of Somen, your recipe and would love to try making this with the homemade noodle base too! Thank you!
Cheers! Joanne
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へえー！梅そうめんというのがあるのね。試してみたいわ。涼しそう！
I always keep plenty of somen on hand and I’m always looking for new ways to use them. This is perfect, thank you Nami!
I actually grew up eating cold noodles during hot summers, too! I grew up in an area with a lot of Korean influence and getting a bowl of cold noodles or a cold noodle soup for lunch was very easy with all the Korean restaurants in the area. 🙂
Gorgeous photos, as always, Nami. I especially cannot take my eyes off the last one… I went yesterday to stock on some ramen noodles and soba in my Japanese shop and I was admiring how beautifully somen noodles are packaged. Frankly speaking I have never tasted them. Your refreshing noodles with sauce look so delicious, I already regret I haven’t bought any somen yesterday. Next time!
I always have somen in hot soup noodles! So it is refreshing to me to have this in a cold version!
How awesome are these!! Love the noodles and the clicks.
Nami: I am enchanted by the first picture…It is so gorgeous! I love the simplicity of the noodles which is one of my favorite Asian dishes.
I love your posts Nami – I always learn something new from them. These noodles look like a treat – for any day! Beautiful pictures!
Looks like an ideal summer meal! I want to try them, I looove dipping sauces.
I find cold noodles one of the easiest things to eat ( and over eat!). this is presented in such a pretty way, how could you not want a bowl of it! I like to combine noodles types so I have plain, buck wheat and green tea on my plate. Your recipe is perfect!
I love cold noodle dishes! Or warm ones. Heck, any noodle dish has my name on it! Anyway, I haven’t had this before – sounds totally wonderful. Thanks!
Yum, I love noodles in all varieties. This looks refreshing and so simple.
I remembered the brutally hot summer days in Asia, especially Malaysia (probably the worst humid country ever…). I love cold somen noodles, plus the dipping sauce looks delicious with shiso leaves 🙂 Now I wonder if I can find a vegan version of Mentsuyu…
I love those noodles! A great summer dish.
Cheers,
Rosa
This definitely sounds like the perfect thing to eat on a sweltering afternoon! I’ve cooked with somen before, but my concoctions have always been improvised and completely untraditional. I’m excited to give this a try!
I have never tried but that sounds like a very good meal to eat.
I didn’t realize how simple this would be, this looks so delicious!
I was talking about you and your blog with my friend who’s moving to San Francisco and you have a new fan in her. Cold noodles are not popular in my country. I like to visit your blog, there’s always sometjhing new and interesting here.
yummm i love somen noodles, perfect for hot summer days!
My mom used to make this all the time but she never gave me the recipe. Now I can make it right at home!
Never had somen noodles! They look so good with that dipping sauce.
I love these noodles and like you say, they’re very refreshing. I love how the noodles are presented so neatly xx
I just pulled out of boxes last things for kitchen and there was bag of somen noodles. I was planning to make it tomorrow..I am so happy that you posted this simple recipe, Nami! You inspired me to make it for sure tomorrow!
I really felt the cooling of my body when you mentioned what cold soda does to the body. Yes I remember how it felt when cold soba is slurped.
Thanks for another easy recipe Nami!
I am often so overwhelmed when I go to the Asian market here in Seattle and see all of the varieties of noodles, I always wonder what different things you could do with them. I’ve often picked up these very noodles but always put them back because I wasn’t exactly sure what to do with them. Now I know. Thank you!
Yum!!! This looks so refreshing Nami.
I’m really liking tying the end of the noodles… Makes it so much easier to handle.
B/W turquoise plate…. Love;)
I have not tried eating this before, looks interesting! I usually go for ramen, I should try this then next time I find myself in a Japanese restaurant:D
This looks so incredibly gorgeous! Love it!
I just had Chuka Somen the other night with kinshi tamago and tomatoes on top. Sooo good! And your somen looks irresistible, too, Nami-san.
Lucky you to have a friend who sends you ume noodles! 羨まし！（笑）
These cold noodles have been a favorite of mine since I lived in Japan. There is nothing better on a hot summer day !!!! Thank you for posting!
Hi Carlyn! I totally agree! At least we know one dish that is nutritious and appetizing on hot days. 🙂 Thank you for your comment! xo
Such a gorgeous presentation, Nami! And chilled noodles sound like a fantastic option on a hot day 🙂
I love noodles – be it hot or cold. I love reading your blog because it introduces me to so many things that I know I will love for sure
Loved the 3rd photo!
Hi Nami!! Your pictures look amazing as usual! Really love how these cold noodles look! Thanks for sharing ur recipe on how simple it actually is on preparing this! Yummy!
Yes, perfect for summer time…!!! Our summers are not so hot, well, it’s for us, but when we compare with other countries, we really have a better weather. The hottest day could be 30°C, and feel we are melting 🙂
Awesome looking noodles!
Thanks for sharing this recipe, Nami. Sometimes when it’s so hot, it’s hard to figure out what to eat. I usually just think of eating salads. I will be making this soon even though it’s never hot where I’m at.
Hi Candice! I know, it’s rarely hot in this area…. except for yesterday was like 90F here on Peninsula. 🙂 Thank you for your comment!
My tendency in warm weather is to go towards salad but I will have to try cold noodles! These look great and I love the pink plum ones. I bought soba noodles this week so have to make something 🙂
What a delightful dish with Somen Noodles. I haven’t tried the pink noodles yet. Is this just available in Japan? There is a large Japanese grocery in our area – Mitsuwa and I might go look for these ingredients there. Must try it soon. Thanks for sharing and happy weekend, Nami !
When we were in Shanghai they were having record breaking heat (hottest since 1898!!). I went on one culinary tour where we visited 4 hole-in-the-wall noodle places, but they all served HOT noodles :-/ Cold noodles are special to Japan I guess. Love those pink ume noodles!
Somen looks perfect for hot days, I love the dipping sauce!
I never thought about how to easily cook noodles together in bundles without them getting tangled before! Interesting—thanks for the tip! (Though it’s true; that’s not really necessary unless you really care about the presentation of a particular meal.) I loooove zaru soumen… it was just about the only thing I could bring myself to consume during July/August in Japan.
I always learn something when I visit your site, Nami! I could dig into that beautiful plate of cold noodles. I actually have some of those noodles in my pantry…but didn’t know really what to do with it! Now I do!! 🙂
Have a lovely weekend. -x
So, that`s how you eat somen noodles! I never knew you dipped it in the sauce. This really does look like a great dish for summer.
This looks sooooo delicious for the hot weather that we’ve been having! Also, I love the pink!
I love cold somen too, so refreshing to eat during the hot summer days. Thx for sharing the tip about how to tie the ends of somen for a nicer appearance.
My family loves somen and I cook it quite often. But I usually prepare them as noodle soup. Didn’t know I can make cold noodles with it. (I usually make cold soba noodles only) I’ve gotta give this a try next time. The smooth and silky texture of the somen must be wonderful in this cold noodle dish. I agree, the heat in the summer in Asia is just unbearable. It’s consider really mild in the west cost here, especially in your area. 🙂
I love the way they are tied so that presentation will be Japanese perfect. Nobody presents food like Japanese cooks and chefs. It’s always beautiful.
I love all your cold noodle dishes. I especially love how they are dipped like this so everyone can customize their own flavor. Looks great. I have learned more about noodles now.. must check it out at my local Asian store. 🙂
My husband has been requesting these noodles and I wasn’t sure how to prepare them Nami. I have seen green matcha noodles like this the other day too. Colorful once look so pretty no? =D Thank you for sharing and I wish you a nice weekend!
I’ve never had a cold noodle dish ( except for noodle salads) but this one looks gorgeous and perfect for summer. It’s definitely a must try!
I had cold thin noddles in seasoned milk with saffron and cardamom when I was in India. I can’t wait to try your recipe since it’s boiling hot here 🙂
What a great way to stay cool. I just picked up some soba noodles today to make a cold soba salad tomorrow for lunch. Next time? Somen! Thank you for sharing, my friend!
Sounds good in any type of weather.
Now thats the trick in having the noodles arranged so well. I got to try that
Nami-san, I am so excited to read this recipe! Guess what I have in my pantry and I was waiting for the right recipe to make them? Pink somen noodles made of Ume and my noodles are made by the same company you have in your photo. Love your idea of keeping the noodles in a perfect loop. Beautiful! Are you back home now or are you still in Yokohama? Ja Mata,
Thanks Nami, these are going straight to my lunch menu list! (I work from home, so I’m always looking for new great lunch ideas.)
And I really adore your pots and serving dishes, are they from Japan?
Hi Riitta! If you are talking about today’s post, they are from Daiso, which is a Japanese dollar store. I don’t think it was exactly $1 (Prices are between $1 to 5 ish?), but still it was a great deal. 🙂 I brought some dishes and pots back from Japan this time and some of dishes and pots come from Japan, especially if it’s after late 2012-2013. 🙂
it is such a pleasure to learn so much about the rich heritage of Japanese cuisine from your blog, never knew that there exists pink somen made from plum and that it is decorated with Japanese maple leaves,noodles look beautiful and thanks for these information,love to learn them…HAVE A GREAT DAY!!! 🙂
I LOVE slurping on somen noodles dipped in that sweet and salty sauce. I’ve been meaning to make some naengmyeon and this sounds perfectly refreshing and light as well. I appreciate you sharing your tip on tying the ends of the noodles! Brilliant! I’ll be on the lookout for the Ibonoito brand. The pink noodles your friend sent you are absolutely gorgeous. Plum tasting somen…very intriguing.. Hope you have a wonderful, relaxing Sunday, Nami!
Hi Nami, this looks delicious! Yes, weather in Asia is so hot! Really need a bowl of this noodles to cool down 😉
This look beautiful I m sure here I can find these noodles!
Nami what beautiful is japanase food:)
Thank you Gloria! 🙂
I’ve seen these packages at the local asian store, but never knew what they were. I will definitely have to try this recipe!
LOVE the idea of cold noodles dipped in sauce! Yum!
I love the idea of tieing the noodles for better presentation. I usually take some portion of noodles and wind up around my fingers to get the nestled look. Very refreshing recipe!
These sound like the perfect summer dish Nami! So simple, yet by the looks and sound of it incredibly tasty. If I can get my hands on the ingredients over here in Germany I will have to try these out. Thanks!
Hi Nami, Your Somen noodles look amazing and I love the step by step instructions. I would have had no idea to leave the strings tied on the end to make it easy for presentation! Great photo’s!
You have a gift of being able to make the simplest dishes look absolutely amazing!!
I have some of these noodles in the pantry so I will be trying them out in Summer, thanks for sharing 🙂
I’ve seen these noodles but never knew enough about them to actually buy them. I figured if I did they would sit in the pantry. Thank you for this wonderful post. Now I know what to do them and it looks good! Love the simplicity of a meal like this. So lovely and tasty. I’ve learned so much from you Nami! Thanks!
Sorry I havent been to visit in a while. I look forward to your pictures from Japanese. i never think of eating cold noodles …but why not ?
I haven’t really tried cold noodles – I’ll have to give this a go 🙂
Cool idea! I never thought of that when cooking somen. I used to tear all the paper pieces, just like cooking pasta.
I love the simplicity of this dish. Superb!
Nami, what a simple cooling dish absolutely packed with flavour. Your food is a real treat and I always learn something new about a cuisine that I don’t encounter here very often.
I bought Somen before but I don’t know how to cook with it, so I simply cook it the Chinese way of soupy type, so next time I know what to do after you showed on how to enjoy them.
Wow Nami, this somen is just perfect, light and refreshing…a beautiful meal for the season.
I though I’ve seen all sorts of noodles, but pink noodle? Definitely the first I’ve seen. It’s so dainty and pretty! Do Japanese decorate the noodles with maple leaves year round?
Nami, your recipes for the cold noodle dishes are so very appealing – I love them although I have never even made them and I love that trick about tying one end of the noodle bundle with cooking twine in order to keep the noodles “organized” – love learning something new every time I come here!